Short-turning gear for vehicles.



No. 679,669. Patented July 30, l90l.

F. FRANZ. SHORT TURNING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

(Application flied Apr. 29, 1901.

(No Model.)

PWT/VESSZ-IS UNTTRD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDRICH FRANZ, OF BROOKLYN, NET/V YORK.

SHORT-TURNING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,669, dated July 30,1901.

Application filed April 29, 1901. Serial No. 58.072. (N model.)

To all whom it Til/(Ly concern.-

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH FRANZ, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Vehicle, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements on carriages and wagons, the objectof my invention being to produce a simple and efficient mechanismwherebya carriage or wagon can be steered easily and quickly.

A further object is to produce a vehicle with a simple and efficientsteering-gear, whereby a carriage or wagon can be made to turn sharpcorners by a slight swinging of the axles of the wagon.

lVith these objects in view the invention consists of several novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, ashereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a plan or top view of therunning-gear, in which the operating wheel or lever of the steering-gearis located at one end of the vehicle, although this wheel or lever maybe located between the axles of same. Fig. 2 shows a sectional side viewof Fig. 1, taken on the line A B; and Fig. 3 is a top view or plan ofFig. 1, showing the position of the axles and other parts of themechanism when the vehicle is in the act of turning around a corner.

Similar numbers of reference refer to similar parts in all the figures.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1, 2, 3, andd are rods one end of which isfastened to the axles 5 and 6, respectively, at the points 7 and 8 andOand 10, the other ends of the rods being fastened to the lever 11, therods 1 and 3 to the end 12 of the lever, and the rods 2 and at to theend 13 of the lever. The lever 11 is provided with a stem 14, the upperend of which carries a worm-wheel 15, which works with a worm 16. To theworm 16 is fastened a rod 17, having fastened on its other end agear-wheel 18. Meshing with this gear-wheel is another gear-wheel 19,fastened on one end of a vertical rod 20, to the other end of which isfastened a hand wheel or lever 21, by means of which the steeringmechanism is operated.

The stem 14, and therefore the lever 11 and the worm-wheel 15, are heldin place bya suitable bearing in which they work. The worm 16 is alsoheld in place by suitable bearings. (Not shown.) So are also the rods 17and 20. Each of the axles 5 and 6 is provided with a fifth-wheel 23 anda center-plate 22, so that the axles may be revolved about theircentersindependently and simultaneously. The center-plates are soconstructed that while the axles can swing about them they will alsoadmit of a lateral movement of the axles simultaneously orindependently; This is necessary in order to provide for theirregularities of the mechanism caused by the angularity of the rods 1,2, 3, and 4.

The operation of this mechanism is as follows: On turning the hand-Wheelor lever 21 motion is imparted to the worm-wheel through the medium ofthe rods and 17, the gears 19 and 18, and the worm 16. The worm-wheel15and the lever 11 being rigidly fastened to the stem 14, the lever 11will therefore swing around 14 as a center and in so doing will causethe axles 5 and 6 and the running-gears of which they form a part toswing about the center-plates 22 through the medium of the rods 1 and 2and 3 and 4. This motion will swing the axles in opposite directions, sothat the inner wheels will be brought closer together and the outerwheels farther apart, as shown in Fig. 3, thus enabling the wagon toturn a sharp corner with a comparatively small swing of the axles.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vehicle, the combination of two axles free to swing pivotally; alever pivoted at its center between the axles of the vehicle; four rods,each fastened pivotally at one end to one of the axles and at the otherend to one end of the lever, two rods being fastened to each axle, oneset crossing each other between the lever and the axle, the other setnot crossing each other; and two guides forpermitting the axles to havea translatory motion while revolving pivotally substantially as setforth in the specification.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of two axles free to swing pivotally; alever pivoted at its center between the axles of thevehicle; four rods,each fastened pivotally at one end of the lever, two rods being fastenedto each axle, one set crossing each other between the lever and theaxle, the other set not crossing each other; two guides for-permittingthe axles to have a translatory motion while revolving pivotally; andmeans for turning the lever substantially as set forth.

3. Inavehicle,the combination of two axles free to swing pivotally; alever pivoted at its center between the axles of the vehicle; four rods,each fastened pivotally at one end to one of the axles and at the otherend to one end of the lever, two rods being, fastened to each axle, oneset crossing each other between the lever and the axle, the other setnotcrossing each other; a worm-wheel or other gearwheel mounted on saidlever so as to swing with it; a worm or gear wheel meshing with saidworm-wheel or other gear-wheel; and a hand-wheel or lever for turningsaid worm or gear substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a vehicle,the combination of two axles free to swing pivotally; alever pivoted at its center between the axles of the vehicle; four rods,each fastened pivotally at one end to one of the axles and at the otherend to one end of the lever, two rods being fastened to each axle, onesetcrossing each other between the lever and the axle, the other set notcrossing each other; two guides for permitting the .axles to have atranslatory motion while revolving pivotally; the worm-wheel or othergear-wheel mounted on said lever so as to swing with it and a worm orgear wheel meshing with said worm-Wheel or other gearwheel; and ahand-wheel or lever for turning said worm-wheel and gear substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a vehicle,the combination of two axles free to swing pivotally; alever pivoted at its center between the axles of the vehicle; four rods,each fastened pivotally at one end to one of the axles and at the otherend to one end of the lever, two rods being fastened to each axle, oneset crossing each other between the lever and the axle, the other setnot crossing each other; a worm-Wheel or other gearwheels mounted onsaid lever so as to swing with it; a worm or gear wheel meshing withsaid Worm-wheel or other gear-wheel; and a hand-wheel or lever forturning said worm or gear wheel; and a guide for permitting the stem onwhich the lever is mounted to have a translatory motion while said leverswings pivotally substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at the city of New York, borough ofM-anhattan, county of NewYork, and State of New York, this 5th day of April, 1901.

FRIE DRlOlI FRAN Z.

lVitnesses:

L. W. SEELIGSBERG, F. W. EWALD.

